Implosion brings mech action and a decent combo system to iOS at last, out now

Implosion - Never Lose Hope has a lot of empty promises surrounding it, but don't let that fool you, it's worth a look.

Its creator, Rayark, seems more intent on pushing phrases like "console-quality graphics" and "Hollywood-grade audio production" at us, rather than getting to the heart of what makes Implosion good.

Sure, its graphics are of console quality, if the console you're referring to is the PS2. And the audio is alright, sure. But lets focus on Implosion's combo system, yeah?

It works similarly to the fighting in Devil May Cry and Bayonetta in that it looks superb, is easy to pull off, and makes it feel like you've got room to customize each move.

You can tap the attack button rapidly to see your guy-in-a-mech-suit breakdance with a sword, performing a standard combo (except it's far from standard, being more of a balletic flurry of metal and blades).

But you can also put gaps between the taps to charge up more powerful but slower strikes. And you can vary the speed of the taps up in a long string of moves to get a mixture of light and hard attacks.

It's pretty great, actually, if only due to most mobile brawlers being either being much simpler, or trying to be more complex and failing.

Here, in Implosion, pulling off moves is intuitive and can be managed smoothly. It feels like you're fighting with flow and power, as a mech suit should allow. The animations are suitably dramatic, too - high-speed spins, rolls, and electric sparks dancing in the air.

You can also add extra moves to the core fighting mechanics (operated with a separate button) that are more powerful, direct, or issue damage to a wider area. They all have cooldown times to keep an eye on, of course.

Following the path of Platinum Games's superb action titles there's no block or guard button here. You can only dodge out of the way. That's all you need.

So, pay no attention to the grandeur the game's description offers up. You won't be playing Implosion for its looks or sounds.

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on

You might play it because has mechs and other sci-fi gibberish. But mostly you'll want to play it for its fighting mechanics.

We'll have a review up with more in-depth impressions of the full experience soon.

But if you can't wait, you can purchase Implosion - Never Lose Hope for £7.99 / $9.99 on the App Store right now. It'll be out for Android on April 16th.